Small businesses cannot afford to take on the costs of strikes

When work stoppages happen in federally regulated sectors, impacted small businesses are hit the hardest. They are forced to deal with losses long after the strikes are over. Orders are cancelled, contracts are halted, and frustrated customers leave for more reliable alternatives.

With no voice during negotiations, local entrepreneurs shouldn’t be collateral damage when there’s a disagreement between unions and their employers.

The high cost of strikes for small businesses

A survey from CFIB found that recent work stoppages at CN and CPKC railways, the British Columbia and Montréal ports, and Canada Post cost the business community a median of $10,000 in 2024.¹

In 2024 alone, the Canada Post strike cost small business owners around $100 million per day in lost productivity and delays.² This isn’t just financial losses but time and resources that could not be recovered.

The uncertainty that work stoppages create, along with their impact on a business’s operations, further stretches already thin margins and shows just how much is at stake for small businesses when labour disruptions arise.

What CFIB is calling on Ottawa to do

To reduce the impact of strikes on small businesses, CFIB shared its recommendations as part of Ottawa's consultations on potential reforms to the Canada Labour Code, calling on Ottawa to:

• Protect the government’s powers to stop work stoppages when they happen.
• Require an in-depth study evaluating the costs of the potential impacts of a work stoppage on the economy, including Canadians and small businesses, before it is even allowed to happen.
• Strengthen transparency during the collective bargaining process.

What’s next?

The Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications (TRCM) released a report on June 11, 2026. Some of its recommendations echo CFIB’s :

• It calls for the creation of an independent supply chain tribunal with marine and rail expertise.
• Involved from the start of negotiations, the proposed tribunal could step in when labour disputes threaten the national interest. A tribunal-appointed mediator-arbitrator would support resolution through mediation and arbitration, making sure that all key offers and counteroffers are shared with the public.

Building on the momentum of the Committee’s support in calling on Ottawa to consider the broader impacts of strikes, CFIB will continue to put pressure on government to ensure that the supply chain doesn’t suffer undue disruptions and remains fully operational at all times.

We’re also continuing to monitor the changes at Canada Post. Its CEO, Doug Ettinger, shared with the House of Commons Government Operations and Estimates Committee on Thursday, June 18, 2026, that announcements are expected this fall, with small businesses’ needs in mind.

No Canadian SMEs should be collateral damage when large unions put the economy at risk for their own benefits.

Footnotes:

1. CFIB, January 2025 Your Voice Survey, Q.9, n=2,345.
2. CFIB. (July 21, 2025). Nearly two in three small businesses may permanently drop Canada Post if strike resumes following vote